At the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Addis Ababa, high-level representatives from the African Development Bank, Microsoft, Nokia, infoDev, DEMO, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the World Economic Forum launched a new partnership to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa. The Liberalizing Innovation Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA) partnership seeks to mobilize the knowledge, expertise and resources of leading public and private institutions to encourage and enhance Africa’s innovation ecosystem and to spur entrepreneurship across the continent.

Six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies over the past decade are in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, internet usage across Africa has grown faster than on any other continent in the world. The awakening of the African economy provides an opportunity for global and African entrepreneurs and enterprises to forge partnerships for mutual economic prosperity.

LIONS@FRICA seeks to capitalize on this growth and create new opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa by providing a platform designed to inspire and challenge African innovators and entrepreneurs. This partnership will provide African startups with capacity building and training in business development, provide connectivity to global innovation grids, promote access to capital, create opportunities for partnership, and showcase best practices and successes in African-led innovation solutions.

Planned activities for the partnership include a series of programs across the continent featuring promising African startups and entrepreneurs as well as venture capital roundtables and innovation bootcamps, and Startup Weekend events in over 20 African cities. Qualifying startups can join Microsoft BizSpark with access to a range of Microsoft technology for three years at no cost, to the community of BizSpark Network Partners in Africa, and to programs at Microsoft Innovation Centers in the region.

LIONS@FRICA will also launch the first-ever DEMO Africa, a global platform to connect African startups to the global ecosystem, where the most innovative companies from African countries come to launch their products and announce to Africa and the world what they have developed.

The Partnership will receive support from business networks and platforms from Business Action for Africa and Startup Weekend. Global Entrepreneurship Week will serve as the coordinating partner, while Business Fights Poverty will serve as an online community partner.

For more information on the partnership visit www.meetthelions.org. You can also follow LIONS@FRICA on Twitter @ LIONS@FRICA.

For U.S. Citizens: Opportunities in the UN and Other International Organizations

International Organizations (IOs) offer many interesting and challenging employment opportunities where one can contribute to the needs of people and nations worldwide. Salaries are competitive and benefits are attractive.

Employment Opportunities in the UN and Other International Organizations

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Organization Affairs announced the launch of its updated website (http://intlorganizationjobs.state.gov/iva/default.aspx) which provides information to U.S. citizens about professional employment opportunities at the United Nations and other international organizations.

The new website features:

Information about numerous current job vacancies open to U.S. citizens at international organizations.

A new user-friendly and effective job search tool.

Job Alerts: U.S. citizens can sign up to receive email alerts, based on their employment interests, as new jobs are posted to the website.

Other helpful tools and resources, including information about salaries and benefits.

The Department of State encourages qualified U.S citizens to apply for these positions. As the largest financial contributor to most of these organizations, the United States has a major interest in ensuring that they employ top-notch staffs who have the ability and experience to carry out programs efficiently and effectively.

_________________________________________________________

IRIN Nairobi Hq. Internships

The Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), a global news and analysis service on humanitarian issues, is inviting internship applications for three to six month placements for various sections in its Nairobi headquarters.

Qualifications: Applicants must be pursuing a first or advanced degree in Business or Public Administration, Journalism, Mass Communication, International Relations, Graphic Design, IT or related fields.

Language: Fluency in English is required. Another language will be an added advantage, especially French, Arabic or Spanish.

Application procedure: Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through the UN Office at Nairobi (UNON) website (www.unon.org) specifying their area of assignment as UNOCHA. Send a copy of the application to vacancies@irinnews.org IRIN is a project of UNOCHA. Further eligibility requirements are detailed on the website. An official letter in PDF format from applicants' educational institution is a requirement without which applications cannot be reviewed. The roles, in brief:

Editorial: Research, write, edit, update or revise articles and multimedia reports on events and issues affecting the humanitarian agenda worldwide. Work closely with IRIN journalists, editors and local correspondents. Interact with newsmakers and analysts, IRIN users and the humanitarian community. Skills in video, photography or other multimedia would be a plus.

Operations: Be a part of all aspects of IRIN's operations across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas which would include financial systems and reporting, human resources management, procurement and asset management, logistics, document management and archiving and research on relevant institutions for training, internships and resource mobilization.

IT services and support: Assist in the installation and maintenance of computer hardware and networking systems, provide IT help-desk support, maintain the web sites and undertake special projects to support the IT and editorial teams. Mainly Windows-based system administration.

African Development Bank

The African Development Bank is the continent’s leading development finance institution and a key development partner of its 53 Regional Member Countries. It is also a leader and partner in major sub-regional and continent-wide initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa, and the African Water Facility. The bank runs a development-executive program that you should keep in your sights. The unique program is called Young Professionals Program, and although the deadline for the current year has passed, it is a program that young professionals of Africa and the U.S. should consult.

As part of the Bank’s Young Professionals Program (YPP), you would have the opportunity to work across the continent, and be at the forefront of exciting Bank initiatives that are helping to shape Africa’s future.

The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a highly competitive program targeting motivated and talented young professionals under the age of thirty-two (32) and committed to making a difference on the continent. Upon acceptance and entry, successful applicants undergo unique on-the-job training and development to prepare them for an Africa related career and future leadership roles within the Bank.

Successful candidates must be committed to Africa’s development and demonstrate outstanding academic and professional achievement, as well as effective teamwork and leadership potential. The AfDB offers an internationally competitive remuneration and benefits package.

Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicant must be a citizen of a Bank Group member country (regional and non-regional). See list of member countries below. If you are a national from any of these countries listed, you could be eligible to apply for these jobs.

Applicant must have a minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, engineering, social sciences, international development, business administration, finance, banking or any discipline relevant to the Bank’s business.

A detailed description of the AfDB YPP is available on the Bank’s website at www.afdb.org/ypp

__________________________________________________

Council of Economic Advisors Internships

The President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) in Washington, D.C. offers full-time internships during spring and fall semesters, and during the summer. Part-time applicants who can commit to at least 30 hours a week will be considered during the spring and fall semester. Interns at the CEA are responsible for assisting the staff in researching a wide range of macroeconomic, microeconomic, and international issues, providing assistance in making charts and analyzing data. Administrative duties to support the work of the Council are also involved.

The President's Council of Economic Advisers provides the President with objective economic analysis and advice on the development and implementation of a wide range of domestic and international economic policy issues. The Council has a Chairman and two Members, who are Senate-confirmed Presidential Appointees. The staff of the Council consists of Senior and Junior Economists, Analysts, Research Assistants, and a statistical and administrative staff.

Applicants for the Intern positions should be graduate students or full-time undergraduates with some economic coursework to their credit and have good writing and computer skills. If you are interested in applying, please send your resume, a transcript, and a cover letter via fax or e-mail to:
Rosemary Rogers
Intern Coordinator
President's Council of Economic Advisers
The White House
Washington, DC 20502
Fax: (202) 395-5013
E-mail: CEAInternships@cea.eop.gov

Deadlines:

October 31 for Spring session (Jan-May)

March 31 for Summer (June-Aug)

May 31 for the Fall session (Aug-Dec)

All applicants must be:

A U.S. citizen (no dual citizenships)

At least 18 years of age

A full time student, enrolled in a degree-seeking program at an accredited academic institution

All internship positions at the Council of Economic Advisers are unpaid.

Explore Fulbright Scholarships

The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering lecturing, research or combination lecturing/research awards in over 125 countries, including Africa. Opportunities are available not only for college and university faculty and administrators but also for professionals from business and government, as well as artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, independent scholars and many others.

There are awards in dozens of academic disciplines, sub-disciplines and inter-disciplinary fields. Further, there are 144 “All Discipline” awards that expand opportunities in almost every country.

Traditional Fulbright Scholar awards are available from two months to an academic year. A short-term grants program – the Fulbright Specialist Program – offers two- to six-week opportunities that expand opportunities in almost every country.

To learn how to become part of the U.S. Government’s flagship program for international exchange, e-mail scholars@cies.iie.org or visit www.CIES.org . On the site, you will find the Catalog of Awards, tips for applying, scholar stories and the online application.

Non-U.S. Scholars - There are programs that support the research and teaching of scholars visiting colleges and universities in the United States. These programs offer joint collaborative opportunities with U.S. Scholars. More info, visit http://www.cies.org/vs_scholars/ .

Keep up with Fulbright developments with the new monthly e-newsletter, The Fulbright Scholar News. Join the distribution list by emailing outreach@cies.iie.org , and visit the website www.CIES.org for information about upcoming deadlines and programs.

Please take note of this disclaimer as to the information, services, products, messages and other materials provided on this website:

The African Times-USA and The African Times Publications, its agents and representatives, make no representations with respect to the content of this website and specifically disclaim any other warranties, including, but not limited to, implied or express warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular usage, application or purpose. The information, services, products, messages and other materials contained on this website individually and collectively are provided for education and informational purposes only. This website and referrals to other websites, publications or information resources do not constitute the endorsement of those websites or resources by The African Times-USA and The African Times Publications, its agencies or representatives. The African Times and The African Times Publications make no representations or claims as to the quality, content and accuracy of the information, services, products and messages which may be provided by such resources, and specifically disclaims any warranties, including, but not limited to, implied or express warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular usage, application or purpose. The individual documents provided on this website are copyrighted by The African Times-USA and may be downloaded for personal use only. Permission to otherwise reprint, copy, electronically reproduce or utilize any document on this website, in part or in whole, is expressly prohibited unless prior written consent is obtained from The African Times/USA. In order to obtain consent, please contact: africantimes-usa@mindspring.com